It does look like they are pulling a Rio here (or what VAG starts to do now as well), meaning they reskin the Hyundai rather than giving it a proper body of it's own.

My thoughts exactly. It's like a return to the first-generation Cee'd and i30, when they were effectively the same car, sharing the same centre section, and differentiated by the front/rear styling and interior design.

It's a definite step backwards for Kia, but the company as a whole seems to be retreating from the bold, eye-catching design that made the buying public sit up and notice their products in the first place, which seems like a rather odd decision.

New shots, and it looks like someone stuck a Stonic grille and Optima bumper on a Hyundai i30. It seems like the whole greenhosue will be identical, just front/rear ends and the Sportage influenced interior will be major differences.

Through it's first 2 generations, the c'eed has somehow always been the more attractive of the two "Euro Korean" siblings, especially the current second generation looks rather good, but this time, especially with the Fastback around, Hyundai might have pulled the looker (and that's not saying the regular i30 would be much of a design masterpiece)

Yes, and successfully so.You have a wait of several month when ordering and very low discounts...

It's probably not the most attractive Kia ever produced style wise (say compared to the current c'eed, that still looks good and has a quality interior that could be found in a German car as well), but a great package considering it#s a Hybrid, a CUV and all that at a good price. And with the ongoing Diesel discussions, Hybrids are becoming way more popular in Europe as well. Kia did everything right with the Niro.

I wonder how the Niro, upcoming Stonic and the "one step back to dull" looks will affect the up until now strong c'eed sales...

Yes, and successfully so.You have a wait of several month when ordering and very low discounts...I wonder how the Niro, upcoming Stonic and the "one step back to dull" looks will affect the up until now strong c'eed sales...

That was why I asked. I would think that the Niro and Ceed are interchangeable i.e. similar size, both hatchbacks, no doubt similarly priced.

That was why I asked. I would think that the Niro and Ceed are interchangeable i.e. similar size, both hatchbacks, no doubt similarly priced.

Not as similarly priced as you might think. The Niro starts from £21,635 in the UK, while the Cee'd is available from over £6,000 less at £15,365 It's only the upper half of the Cee'd range that overlaps with the Niro in price.

Not as similarly priced as you might think. The Niro starts from £21,635 in the UK, while the Cee'd is available from over £6,000 less at £15,365 It's only the upper half of the Cee'd range that overlaps with the Niro in price.

I did a price conversion and the Ceed doesn't seem cheap, but the Niro sounds expensive for its base price. I'm sure it's more complicated than that. The price gap is probably like that of the Forte and the Niro here, but the Forte is dirt cheap.

I did a price conversion and the Ceed doesn't seem cheap, but the Niro sounds expensive for its base price. I'm sure it's more complicated than that. The price gap is probably like that of the Forte and the Niro here, but the Forte is dirt cheap.

The Cee'd isn't cheap, but you do tend to get quite a lot for the money, and pricing is still just that little bit south of Kia's mainstream rivals in Europe. However, if the new Hyundai i30 (available from £16,995) is anything to go by, that slight price advantage will be all but gone with the next generation Cee'd.

The Cee'd isn't cheap, but you do tend to get quite a lot for the money, and pricing is still just that little bit south of Kia's mainstream rivals in Europe. However, if the new Hyundai i30 (available from £16,995) is anything to go by, that slight price advantage will be all but gone with the next generation Cee'd.

Thing with those price advantages is that Kia/Hyundai dealers are rarely those with huge dsicounts to follow. Visit a Ford, Renault, Opel or Volkswagen dealer, and they will happily give you massive deals. Usually you tend to end up below what you pay for your Korean alternative, and whilst the Kia c'eed still comes with it#s unmatched 7 years warranty, the Hyundai's 5 year is already matched by many brands in Europe nowadays (including those mentioned that love to negotiate). Equipment levels are okayish, but also no longer as generous as Korea used to be a few years ago. The best deal you tend to get on top of the range levels, as Koreans tend to make the price increases less steep than the European brands, but ultimately you will have to decide whether you want all that kit just so you made a deal...

So to me the new i30 is not really an attractive offer, it's a good in most respects but nowhere class leading product, sold at the higher end of the C-segment's " at the dealers" price range with a conservative design that lacks the appeal some current/previous Kias used to have. I hope the c'eed will look at least a bit better.